3 Paul George bold predictions for 76ers’ 2024-25 NBA season
The latest stop for Paul George in his Hall of Fame career — and the last at which he will still play at a star level — is the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers risked a lot by pursuing George, who they ended up signing to a four-year, $212 million deal. He has promised to bring a selfless mindset to his new team, understanding that it belongs to stars younger than him but that he can uplift those stars significantly. Although he will have his load managed significantly as he embarks on his age-34 season, he’s still an elite scorer and an accomplished, playoff-hardened star.
While it’s tough to predict exactly how George’s season will go, there are reasons for optimism and an expectation that he won’t accrue many individual accolades during the regular season. Here are three predictions for PG-8’s debut season with the 76ers.
1. 76ers play it carefully with Paul George, limiting him to fewer than 60 games
© Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Watching George play 74 games last regular season surely enthused the Sixers even if they knew that he wouldn’t reach that total in a season again. It was great to see him remain capable of staying healthy for almost a whole season. But especially now that he’s entering the season with a hyperextended left knee, the team has no business running any risk with him.
George is a great fit for the Sixers in many ways but one of them is his steadfast desire for a championship. It’s been decades since the team has won it all and George has never even been to an NBA Finals. This aligns with their goals perfectly and provides a common understanding that health in the playoffs is one of the most urgent priorities, if not the most. George isn’t going to be one to push to play in every single game in the regular season and Philly won’t ask him to.
The 76ers may not have a solidified number of games they will undoubtedly rest George for but it seems that they will be cautious enough for him to fall below the NBA’s threshold for postseason award eligibility. Especially since he could miss time to start the season, George will probably have another sub-60 game campaign, which will be totally fine as long as he’s ready to fight for 16 wins starting in mid-April.
2. George shoots 45 percent from three
George’s three-point shooting is nothing short of elite. On this 76ers team, with two stars and an emphasis on playing fast, he’ll have plenty of chances to let shots fly. PG-8 could be more than just a great shooter for Philly; it could be the best season-long shooting performance he has to date.
At 41.3 percent last season, George juuust beat out his previous career-best. He connected on 45.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot looks, which he should get a bunch of playing alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Those types of looks should be more common for him than shots off the dribble, inching his three-point percentage higher because he’ll get more of the looks he performs much better at.
Reaching 45 percent from deep is a rarity even in today’s game. Only two qualified players (Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard) reached it last season. But resting often should help George stay in tip-top shape for the games that he does end up playing, thus increasing his odds of having good shooting performances. Although it’ll take a little shooting luck to get him to 45, decreasing his sample of shots and only diving into that sample with a good amount of rest will be helpful.
Although George is capable of pulling from deep off the bounce, he’s not one to hoist a bunch of them at a high rate. The 76ers have a catch-and-shoot demon on their hands and will deploy him to torment defenses.
3. Paul George averages just under 20 points per game
George’s points per game and per 100 possessions have each declined over the last two seasons. The same goes for his minutes. Because he’s such a great scorer/shooter, he could easily clear a 20-point-per-game average. However, there are some forces working against him, namely the onward march of time.
Playing alongside Embiid and Maxey means that George will see fewer shots. Even if Embiid’s unreal usage rate dips, he will be the leading scorer. Maxey, the lead guard, is going to have the ball more than or as much as anybody. George’s shot quality will increase at the cost of his volume, a worthwhile sacrifice to make for someone so deep into their career.
In the games where either Embiid or Maxey are absent, George will probably score well over 20. But unless Embiid endures an extended absence like last season, George will be slated as the third option most of the time.
Last season, playing with a pass-first guard and another high-volume scorer, George averaged 22.6 points per game in 33.8 minutes. Playing with more scoring-oriented, ball-dominant co-stars and possibly seeing his minutes diminish again would mean fewer overall scoring opportunities for George. He hasn’t averaged fewer than 20 over a full season since the 2012-13 season but he has to eventually.
Whether Paul George averages 20 won’t determine whether he had a good or bad season in his first 76ers campaign. Several other factors are much, much more important. Even if non-invested onlookers see George’s points-per-game start with a one and opine that he’s washed, the veteran can still have a great season by staying healthy, manufacturing efficient offense and contributing whatever he can on defense.
At the end of the day, the success of George’s season will mostly be determined by how he looks in the spring. For now, his job is to lay the groundwork for a deep playoff run.
The post 3 Paul George bold predictions for 76ers’ 2024-25 NBA season appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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